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Saying Maddy is my "mini me" is such a understatement.
Last night I was reminded just how much of a "mini me" she really is.
She wanted to get in on the betting action from a few weeks ago so during dinner she bet her father to see who could guess how many pairs of shoes she has.
They teased back and fourth and finally he decided to guess 15 pairs. Maddy (who had not counted them) guess 21 pairs.
After dinner she and I ran upstairs and I watched while she counted and counted and counted, emptying two overflowing drawers of shoes onto the floor.
The final verdict was 22. The child has 22 pairs of shoes. At that moment I realized not only to we look alike and have the same personality but we have the same LOVE of shoes!! CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It's a holiday where people get to show their creativity and where children are everywhere!
My little ones LOVE how we transform the house with spooky things.
Halloween morning Maddy had Nutcracker rehearsal but afterwards we carved pumpkins.
This year Christian decided rather then Trick-or-treathing he wanted to have his own booth at the Church's Harvest Carnival. My Dad always has one, so rather then signing up for 1 he got 2. Christian designed his game and found his bible verse.
The other chicklings did however dress up. Maddy and Kenna selected designs from a friend of mine who made the most fantastic tutu costumes.
Ethan wanted to be Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. He's been flying around the house for weeks in it!
So after we got dressed up and did hair and makeup we headed to the Church's Harvest to play games. Afterwards we trick-or-treated in our neighborhood ending up at Craig and Laurie's for a fire, tortilla soup and margaritas.
As usual with 4 kids getting candy we have a ridiculous amount of candy at home. Slowly Ryan and I will both take some to work so the kids won't notice and the dentist will thank us.
Tons of pictures will come once the candy wears off.
Last weekend we went with my brothers family, my cousins family and our best friends family to the local apple orchards and pumpkin patch... Jeez, look at all those kids!
So what does a chestnut look like?
Picking them was interesting for sure....
12 years ago, I was a 17 year old girl having my first baby.
12 years ago I met the little guy who would forever change my life.
12 years ago I fell head over hills in love.
Happy Birthday Christian I love growing up with you, you teach me new things everyday. I love you.
Maddy went to a Halloween party for her friend Brock last weekend. She's dressing up like a playfully adorable witch.
A friend made the costume look how cute it is!
Wow, look at those baby blues! (also, see the lime green spider hanging in the back of the picture? Ethan made it out of a egg carton and pipe cleaners!)
My husband is truly one of a kind...
He works, goes to school, takes care of me, is the best hands-on father and never complains.
Ever.
Last night for example he worked a 10 hour day and then came home we ate chilli that had cooked and simmered in the crock pot all day and made the house smell absolutely delicious! Then after dinner I went on my weekly walk with my girlfriend Michelle, while Ryan stayed with the kids. When I got home an hour later the dishes were done and the kids were bathed! We all settled in on the couch and watched Wheel of Fortune together. Bedtime quickly came for the younger kids so Ryan and I both went upstairs and tag teamed putting the children down. After everyone was settled in bed we went back down stairs and Christian and Ryan watched a hockey game together.
Finally when the clock stroke 10:00 p.m. we decided to call it a night and thats when Ryan's work phone rang. Something happened at the plant he needed to go in. So he promptly got dressed, kissed me goodbye and drove to work.
At 3:50 a.m. he was back home and climbed into bed for "a nights sleep". Which for him meant 1 hour and 10 minutes until the alarm blared and it was time to get up for the day.
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So often I listen to people complain about their schedules or their hours and yet my husband manages to do all of the above with a content heart and a positive attitude. For this I am thankful to have him in my life and need to remember more that although I may have a lot on my plate raising 4 children, working full time, keeping the house clean, the laundry put away, bellies full, making sure I have a good and fulfilled marriage and happy respectful children, I need to remember to keep a positive attitude as Ryan does.
My cousin Bree loves my babies and I love her! Last Friday night she watched the 2 babies for us while we went to the football game. When I got to her house she had transformed her kitchen into the kids "baking area" complete with "cookie making stations", it was sooooo cute!
